This year is going to be tough.

The writers of the BBWAA have to narrow a stacked ballot down to the ten most worthy names. There are going to be some worthy candidates that aren't elected and some might even fall off the ballot. That's what happens when writers are limited to how many votes they can have on the ballot.

I am a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance and a different approach was taken this year to avoid the roster crunch. Members were asked to make a simple "yes" or "no" vote in relation to every man on the ballot. The results for my ballot were 13 names but I will pick out the top 10 names I would have put on my ballot had I been limited to that number.

My Official Ballot (in alphabetical order)

1. Jeff Bagwell
   
2. Craig Biggio
   
3. Barry Bonds
   
4. Roger Clemens
   
5. Randy Johnson
   
6. Edgar Martinez
   
7. Pedro Martinez
   
8. Mike Piazza
   
9. Tim Raines
   
10. John Smoltz
    

It seems likely that a minimum of three players will be elected when the official results are announced on Tuesday afternoon. Johnson and (Pedro) Martinez are first time nominees and they should both be locks as inductees. Biggio came painfully close last year and he should be able to pick up the necessary votes to be enshrined this year. Bagwell could get closer and Raines should get a bump but I don't know if either will have enough support.

As in previous years, I've always said that Bonds and Clemens were on their way to Hall of Fame careers before their steroid use. Piazza is the best hitting catcher of all-time and he deserves to be in. Smoltz was a great starting pitcher and a great closer. (Edgar) Martinez was one of the best hitters of his era and a trailblazer at the designated hitter position.

My Other "Yes" Votes

1. Mike Mussina
   
2. Curt Schilling
   
3. Alan Trammell
   

Mussina won more games during his playing career than any pitcher besides Greg Madduz, an inductee last year. Mussina hasn't had a ton of support but his candidacy will start to gather steam in the years to come.

Schilling is one of the best postseason starting pitchers of all-time and he is the all-time leader in strike/walk ratio. I didn't have enough spots on my ballot this year but I suspect Schilling will be elected in the next handful of years.

Trammell is in his final year on the ballot and I became more convinced of his place in history over the last year. He won't get elected this year but somewhere down the line he could be added through the Veteran's Committee.

Now it's your turn. Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Who would be on your ballot? Should the writers be able to vote for more than ten players?

For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com